The invention relates to seats for use in a vehicle and more particularly to the construction of the support structure in a vehicle seat for supporting the foam padding or cushioning used in the seat.
In relatively small vehicles such as skid steer loaders, small construction equipment and lawn care implements as well as in other similar products, it is important to provide a relatively compact seat for the operator, but a seat which is comfortable for the operator during long work periods.
Prior art seats for such machines or vehicles are commonly constructed with a seat cushion formed directly on a cushion board or on a pair of upwardly arched sinusoidal springs in turn supported by a cushion board. The sinusoidal springs have opposite ends attached to the cushion board, and the sinusoidal springs in turn support padding or cushioning material which is covered by the vinyl exterior material of the seat cushion.
The invention provides an improved seat or cushion for use in vehicles such as skid steer loaders and the like, and seat having a construction which is more comfortable for the operator. More particularly, the invention relates to a vehicle seat construction which includes an improved assembly for supporting the padding or foam material used in the seat and provides a seat construction which is compact and low profile yet provides a comfortable support for the operator and reduces vibration loads transmitted to the vehicle operator.
The improved support assembly includes a cushion board or base, a fabric web, supports, and brackets mounted on the supports. The fabric web is stretched tightly across the seat between the brackets and in spaced relation from the base. The fabric web in turn supports foam cushion material or other padding, and the foam material or padding is covered by vinyl or another wear-resistant material.
One of the advantages of the invention is that it provides a compact, low profile suspension or support assembly which can be used in the production of seats for vehicles with confined volume. The invention also provides a comfortable seat platform for the operator despite the compact configuration of the seat.
The improved support assembly also provides a strong but resilient support for the cushioning material to facilitate long life or durability of the cushioning material or foam material used in the seat. The improved support assembly forms a stable support for the cushion material and distributes forces across a broad surface area of the cushion material. This reduces the occurrence of localized areas of stress on the cushion material and resists breakdown of the cushioning material. This in turn permits the use of less foam material compared to known support assemblies while still providing uniform comfort across the width of the seat.
The improved support assembly also facilitates construction of a seat which can have a reduced vertical thickness yet provide a comfortable seat surface.